Finalists of the Red Bull Storm Chase decided in Tasmania

The opening day of Red Bull Storm Chase Mission #2 saw a full round of competition completed in challenging starboard tack, side-onshore conditions at Temma Beach in North West Tasmania.

Wind up to 64 knots and 25-foot Great Southern Ocean surf challenged all six competitors. In the first round Thomas Traversa dominated and took the highest scores in both categories, jumps and wave rides.

Instead of a knockout format, the scoring system counted each riders best two jumps and wave rides, the total of which will be used to determine the overall winner following each further round.

The highest individual scoring waves and jumps also gained bonus points for the highest performing entrants.

The second day of the Red Bull Storm Chase, in Tasmania, saw insane action and extreme windsurfing, with four riders wearing GPS devices, an impact vest and helmet.

"I'm super happy with this result! Coming here I could never have expected what we saw here in Tasmania. I've travelled all over Europe and the world for 10 years looking for amazing places and crazy conditions. This was the best day and highest quality conditions for competition you could imagine", states Thomas Traversa.

At "Back of Lighthouse" (BOL), waves were kicking in the nine-metre range. Everyone was apprehensive before hitting the water. Smacking the heaving sections with such ferocity, Traversa set a new standard in windsurfing with the aerials that he subsequently soared into.

A third round of storm-force conditions - often with bright sunshine as the icing on the cake ‐ saw the battle for the final Red Bull Storm Chase mission intensify. Wrecked gear and harsh poundings were the evidence of everyone's effort in windsurfing's most challenging contest.

After Ireland and Tasmania, the Red Bull Storm Chase champion will be decided in the last stage to be held in Cape Hatteras, Iceland, Galicia, Britanny or Japan.